This is not right time to oppose Modi, says Girish Karnad

July 6, 2014

Bangalore, Jul 6: This is not the right time to oppose Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he has been democratically elected by the people of the country, according to Jnanpith Award winner playwright and director Girish Karnad.

Mr Karnad, who had campaigned against the communal face of former Gujarat chief minister, expressed his moderate views here on Saturday.

Replying to questions from presspersons about his stand on Mr. Modi whom he had opposed during the elections, Mr. Karnad said he had opposed Mr. Modi, who was the Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate, and also campaigned for the Congress candidate from the Bangalore South Parliamentary constituency, Nandan Nilekani, during the elections. But now, Mr. Modi was the head of the government.

“As citizens we have to respect the people's verdict and give due respect to our elected Prime Minister. We are living in a democratic system, and I cannot say I will not accept him as Prime Minister,” Mr. Karnad said.

"I had expressed reservations about the post-Godhra carnage in Gujarat when Modi was chief minister. Now Modi is our Prime Minister, and we should accept it. We have to accept it,” he said.

Karnad attributed Modi's success to the people's desire for change. "The people's disappointment over the performance of the Congress government at the Centre contributed greatly to Modi's success," he noted.

The country gave Modi a mandate, criticism against him notwithstanding. "People's thinking across the nation was alike. That's the beauty of democracy."

He added that it would be too early to say anything about the style of functioning of the Modi government. “Let us give him time,” he said.

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Elusive bamboo shrimp resurfaces in Mangaluru estuary after 70 years

News Network

December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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